Joe Root hit a stunning 150 that not only placed him second among the all-time leading Test run-scorers but also fired England into an utterly dominant position in the fourth Test at Emirates Old Trafford, the hosts closing day three on 544-7, 186 runs ahead of India.

Starting the day 11 not out, and fifth on the top run-getters list, Root pushed past Rahul Dravid when progressing his score to 30 and then Jacques Kallis soon after on 31, leaving him with Ricky Ponting next in his sights – and a score of 120 required.

The former England captain cruised through to a 38th Test ton – tying Kumar Sangakkara in fourth on that particular list – before surpassing Ponting as England amassed a huge lead, Ollie Pope (71) and Ben Stokes (77no) too hitting half-centuries.

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England’s Joe Root hit a ton during the fourth Test against India as he closed in on Ricky Ponting record

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England’s Joe Root goes for 150 after a brilliant innings in the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford

Stokes’ innings was paused for about an hour as he retired hurt on 66 due to cramp, but he’d return with the fall of England’s seventh wicket as Root, the dangerous Jamie Smith (9) and Chris Woakes (4) departed in quick succession in the evening session.

Stokes hobbled a touch when returning to the middle, which will be of concern to the England camp, but gradually grew into his innings and the skipper will now be eyeing a first Test ton in two years on day four as well as further bolstering his side’s advantage.

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Ben Stokes retired with cramp on the third day of the fourth Test between England and India

England resumed the third morning on 225-2, still 133 in arrears, with Pope and Root calmly and confidently setting about their work in ticking those off.

There was the odd scare, with India lively in the field to start before fading into the afternoon, none more so than when Root should have been run out when a wild shy at the stumps from Ravindra Jadeja – with no-one backing up – allowed him and Pope instead through to their fifty partnership.

Root ticked off Dravid and Kallis in quick succession on his way to a half-century, soon after Pope brought up his own, the England No 3 having been dopped on 49 by Dhruv Jurel when stood up to Anshul Kamboj in the previous over.

Washington Sundar (2-57) made a mockery of not being introduced until the 69th over with a double strike soon after lunch, the off-spinner picking up Pope, caught behind to end the 144-run stand for the third wicket, and Harry Brook (3) stumped to two beautifully flighted deliveries.

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Washington Sundar dismissed Harry Brook shortly after Ollie Pope during the third day of the fourth test in the match between England and India

England were still nine runs shy of India’s first-innings total at that stage, and with the second new ball due, but any hopes the visitors may have had of making further inroads were quickly quashed as Root and Stokes cashed in against their banged-up attack.

Jasprit Bumrah left the field after only one over, costing 11, with that second new ball, an ankle problem restricting him from bowling again until after tea, while Mohammed Siraj hobbled off soon after, leaving Kamboj and Shardul Thakur operating with a ball less than 10 overs old.

Root, after a few nervy moments on 98 – three play and misses in a row in one Siraj over where he also nearly knocked one onto his stumps off his thigh pad – would bring up his 38th Test hundred, with the Old Trafford crowd in raptures once more when he passed Ponting soon after.

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Nasser Hussain and Ricky Ponting discuss what makes Joe Root so good at batting

Root greeted the moment with little more than a half-hearted thumbs up, eager to kick on further and build England an insurmountable lead that he and Stokes nudged past 100 after tea.

Stokes, as has been the case this summer, struggled for his usual timing and rhythm with the bat, even faceplanting the pitch at one point when smacking one reverse-sweep for four off Jadeja.

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England captain Ben Stokes hilariously fell flat on his face whilst hitting a boundary during the third day of the fourth test against India

Just as he began to look somewhere back to his best, notching a first fifty of the summer, he was troubled by what was later confirmed by England to be cramp and, as a precautionary measure, he left the field on 66.

It afforded India an opening of sorts, and they capitalised on it, Jadeja (2-117) doing for Root, stumped off just the sort of jaffa that was required to end his sublime innings, while late-evening bursts from Bumrah (1-95) and Siraj (1-113) accounted for Smith and Woakes, respectively.

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Mohammed Siraj did the Cristiano Ronaldo celebration after he bowled out Chris Woakes

Liam Dawson (21no) played nicely to further bolster his claims to be England’s front-line spinner for the Ashes, his lower-order runs certainly handing him an edge over Shoaib Bashir, while there is batting still to come in the form of Nos 10 and 11 Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer.

Watch day four of the fourth Test between England and India at Old Trafford, live on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event from 10.15am, Saturday (11am first ball), or stream without a contract.

England vs India – results and schedule

All games at 11am UK and Ireland; all on Sky Sports